Transportation

Press release:

One of the most heavily used routes through Highline today is also one of the very oldest roads in Washington state, and it was built by men who achieved the pinnacle of national prominence in their day.

Now the Highline Historical Society is collaborating with three other historical societies in South King County to draw attention to the historical significance of Military Road.

On Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m., the Historical Society is hosting a presentation of “General George Pickett, His Life & Times” at Global Connections High School cafeteria (Tyee campus), 4424 S 188th Street, SeaTac. National Park Service interpretive ranger Michael Vouri will give a lively, one-man performance of Pickett’s life.

Pickett was one of the junior officers sent out to the Pacific Northwest to help build Military Road in the 1850s. Civil War buffs may recognize him as the fellow who, ten years later, led the doomed Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

04/10/2013

Construction on the new SeaTac south-end terminus station for link light rail will begin next month.

Sound Transit will extend light rail from the SeaTac City Center/Airport station at International Boulevard and South 176th Street, south another 1.6 miles via elevated double track guideway along the east side of 28th Avenue South to South 200th Street.

On May 7, “little” 28th Avenue South in the triangle section where the parking garage will be built will be closed for three years. A month later the northbound two lanes of 28th will also be closed. The two southbound lanes will be converted to one lane each way for traffic during construction. Work on the guideways will also start next month.

Construction activity will generally move south to north.

The new “Angle Lake” station will straddle South 200th Street with entrances on both the north and south sides of the street. It will feature a 700-stall parking garage, interim surface parking, passenger drop-off area, bike storage, and bus connections.

The elevated station will include passenger platforms with covered waiting areas, public art and an adjoining plaza.

04/04/2013

Service also reduced on another 86 routes unless state enacts funding authority

Press release
Sixty-five Metro Transit bus routes are at risk of being canceled, and service reduced on another 86 routes, if state lawmakers allow temporary two-year funding for the agency to expire without authorizing a permanent and sustainable source of revenue.

That message – showing cuts to up to 17 percent of Metro’s service which will cascade through the agency’s 217-route system – is included in Metro’s 2012 Service Guidelines Report, sent today to the King County Council.

The report measures and analyzes transit service based on measures of productivity, geographic value, social equity, and ridership.
Included is a look at where investments are needed to reduce overcrowding, keep buses on time and meet growing demand.

The report also offers the first glimpse at which Metro routes are at risk for canceling or reducing if the state Legislature doesn’t authorize funding to fill Metro’s projected $75 million annual budget gap.

04/01/2013

Washington Department of Transportation press release:
Northbound I-5 is about to get safer for drivers, but we’ll need to shut down three out of five lanes in South Seattle to get the job done.
Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, March 29 until 5 a.m. Monday, April 1, northbound I-5 will be reduced down to two lanes between South Albro Place and the West Seattle Bridge.
During the closures, crews will replace four expansion joints that have taken a beating from 50 years of traffic. When expansion joints get old they can pop up, causing unsafe obstacles, not to mention costly emergency repairs and huge backups on I-5.
Here are a few tips to navigate around the northbound I-5 lane closures:
Buddy up. Carpool or take public transportation into Seattle from SeaTac, south King County and Pierce County.
Take an alternate route, like northbound I-405 to westbound I-90 or SR 599 to SR 99.
Be prepared for extra traffic on these alternate routes, and add extra time to your trips.

03/28/2013

Drivers headed to Sea-Tac Airport Monday and Tuesday nights will find State Route 518 closed in both directions between State Routes 509 and 99 from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The closure may continue on Wednesday night, March 27, as well.

Crews working for the Federal Aviation Administration will be replacing cross cables that hold Sea-Tac Airport’s runway lights.

Traffic will be detoured to South 154th Street to bypass the work area. Westbound traffic will continue to be able to access the Sea-Tac terminal by taking SR 518 to Airport Expressway, and eastbound traffic can reach the terminal by taking S. 154th St. to SR 99.

The ramps from South 154th Street to westbound SR 518 and Des Moines Memorial Drive to eastbound SR 518 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. as part of the project.

03/25/2013

Press release:

On March 27th from 2:30 to 4:30 PM, members of the Highline Forum will meet at SeaTac’s City Hall Council Chambers(4800 South 188th Street). The public is invited to make comments at the start of the meeting. The City of SeaTac is hosting the meeting and the theme is the SR 509 Extension/I-5 Improvement Project.

The Highline Forum includes the southwest King County communities of Des Moines, Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila and Federal Way and the Highline School District, Highline Community College and Port of Seattle.

03/13/2013

Also possible delays on SR 599 in Tukwila on Sunday

Crews will be out on the I-5 / SR 516 interchange next week to install traffic loop sensors into the roadway as part of the ramp meter project.

The state Department of Transportation says crews will do what they can to keep the noise down. If residents have questions or concerns, they may call the project office at 425-768-5600 and ask for Dave Standahl.

When completed the ramp meters will improve traffic flow on the mainline of I-5.

Also transportation staffers report there might be a little bit of a delay for drivers Sunday, March 10 as crews close the right lane of northbound SR 599 from Interurban Avenue to Macadam Road in Tukwila from 6:30 a.m. to noon to repair a guardrail.

03/08/2013

A second commission vacancy will be filled this spring

Press release:

The Port of Seattle Commission has selected Courtney Gregoire to fill the seat vacated by Gael Tarleton.

Gregoire, daughter of former Gov. Chris Gregoire, joins the port after serving as the director of President Obama’s National Export Initiative and other high-profile work to support economic development in Washington and across the country.

“Courtney brings unparalleled accomplishments and relationships that will advance the port’s mission to create family-wage jobs by growing trade. We’re excited to welcome her to our team,” said Commission President Tom Albro. “We had a great opportunity to watch all our outstanding finalists in action during our open public process, a process we will also use for our second vacancy.”

Gregoire is an attorney at Microsoft, where she supports the firm’s worldwide sales group. She served previously as deputy chief of staff to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and legislative director to Sen. Maria Cantwell.

She has degrees from Harvard Law School and Willamette University.

03/06/2013

Sound Transit is seeking South King County volunteers for its Citizen Oversight Panel.

A completed application and resume must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 22.

The 15-member group independently monitors Sound Transit to make sure it meets its commitments to build and operate a regional bus, light rail and commuter rail transit system.

The group meets twice monthly during normal business hours with the task of digging into agency details, asking hard questions and reporting its findings to the Sound Transit Board of Directors.

Those interested must be a registered voter within the Sound Transit District and reside and/or work in South King County. They should have skills in one or more areas related to the panel's responsibilities: business and finance management; engineering; large projects construction management; public facilities and services; government processes; and public policy development or review.

More information is available via email at main@soundtransit.org or by writing Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104.

02/20/2013

Press release:

For the fifteenth consecutive year, Highline’s Transportation Department has received outstanding marks on the school bus safety inspection conducted by the Washington State Patrol.

Every year the Washington State Patrol conducts an annual and a surprise inspection to ensure the proper working order, maintenance, and safety of Highline school buses.

All buses and vehicles are examined during the annual inspection and 25 percent of the fleet is inspected during the surprise visit. The inspection covers all aspects of student transportation safety, including 300 separate points on each vehicle.

“Student safety while riding the school bus is our number one priority,” said Scott Logan, Interim Director of Transportation and Security. “Highline transports nearly 10,000 students every day using more than 100 school buses and a dozen other vehicles."

“This outstanding track record demonstrates the high level of commitment to student safety of all of our mechanics, drivers, departmental staff, and administrators,” said Logan.